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22 May – 30 November 2014
Room 5

The British Museum has always sought new ways to explore its
collection, using the latest scientific techniques to shed new
light on ancient cultures. This ground-breaking, interactive
exhibition will showcase recent research on one of the most-popular
areas of the collection – ancient Egyptian and Sudanese mummified
remains or ‘mummies’.
Ancient lives, new discoveries, sponsored by Julius Baer with
support from our technology partner Samsung uses state-of-the-art
technology to allow visitors to virtually explore inside mummy
cases and examine the bodies underneath the wrappings, bringing us
face to face with eight people who lived in the Nile Valley
thousands of years ago.

The Museum is known for its innovative research and use of
cutting-edge visualisation in this field. The first mummy entered
the Museum’s collection in 1756, but for the past 200 years none of
the mummies have been unwrapped, so technology has been critical to
improving our understanding of ancient cultures. A full x-ray
survey of the mummies in the 1960s was followed in the 1990s by the
pioneering use of hospital CT scanners.

Now innovative advances in medical science and engineering
technology can be applied to the study of ancient human remains.
The most recent scans undertaken have used the new generation of
medical CT scanners, capable of producing data of unprecedented
high resolution. The transformation of this data into 3D
visualisations has been achieved with volume graphics software
usually used in other fields such as car engineering. Visitors will
be able to view and interact with this data to discover details of
the lives of these individuals.

The exhibition is structured around eight mummies which have
been the focus of recent scientific investigation. Visitors will
encounter each mummy with accompanying large-screen visualisations
which journey into the body, through the intact wrappings to reveal
the mummified remains, skeleton and the secrets of mummification.
The digital displays, some of them interactive, will also focus on
newly discovered aspects revealed by the scans.

The mummies selected cover a time-span of over 4000 years, from
the Predynastic period to the Christian era, from sites in Egypt
and the Sudan. The emphasis will be on revealing different aspects
of living and dying in the ancient Nile Valley through these eight
individuals and also through contextual objects from the collection
such as amulets, canopic jars, musical instruments and items of
food. Mummification was used by people at different levels of
society and was not just the preserve of pharaohs.

The eight individuals who will feature include:

An adult male villager from Gebelein who has been naturally
preserved by the hot arid sand in the Predynastic period
(c4400-3100 BC), before the time of the pharaohs.

An adult male from Thebes mummified c600BC. The CT data reveals
details of the process that has been applied to preserve this body
– the brain and the internal organs have been removed, and the soft
tissues are in good condition. A specially designed visualisation
will show the man’s head on three sides of a large cube screen. His
teeth were in a poor state and a 3D replica of his lower mandible
–based on the scan data - will show two large dental abscesses.

A female adult temple singer from Thebes, mummified c900BC,
whose body reflects the highest level of mummification available at
its period. This elite burial involved the ritual placement of
amulets and other magical trappings on the body. An interactive
digital visualisation will allow visitors to examine the ornaments
revealed by CT scans. The CT scan data was also used to print 3D
replicas of the amulets. She may also have suffered from
cardiovascular disease as the arteries in her legs are covered in
calcified plaque, a condition called atherosclerosis.

A temple doorkeeper from Thebes, adult male, c700BC. CT scanning
reveals that in preparation for this burial the head was detached
from the body, and crudely held in position with wooden poles. This
unorthodox mummification contravened the special emphasis placed in
texts such as the Book of the Dead on ensuring the physical
integrity of the corpse.

A child temple singer embalmed at 7 or 8 years of age,
c800BC.Embalming was unusual for someone so young. The accompanying
digital visualisation reveals developing teeth and well-preserved
long hair. Also displayed are musical instruments such as a harp
and bone clappers, as well as objects associated with hair and
grooming, including a very rare wig.

An unknown man of high status, c1st-3rd centuries AD, mummified
in distinctive manner, with arms, legs, fingers and toes separately
wrapped, facial features painted on the wrappings, natural hair
left uncovered, small fragments of gold leaf still preserved on the
external surface, and decorative trappings added externally. The
interactive visualisation shows the mummy being gradually
unwrapped.

A 2 to3 year old male child from the Roman era, c1st Century AD,
positioned with his head tilted forward, characteristic of the
Roman period. Objects relating to childhood, such as a toy horse,
are also displayed.

A Sudanese female villager from a medieval Christian community,
c700AD, whose body was naturally mummified in the unique
environmental conditions in the Nile valley. The analysis of this
mummy has revealed the use of Christian imagery in a tattoo found
on the inner thigh, representing a monogram of the Archangel
Michael, patron saint of the Sudan.

Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum
said: “This new technology is truly ground-breaking, allowing us to
reconstruct and understand the lives of these eight, very
different, individuals. This is a project which has only been made
possible through recent technological advances and I am delighted
that the Musuem is at the forefront of this kind of research and
presentation. I am hugely grateful to both Julius Baer and to
Samsung for enabling us to mount such an ambitious and important
exhibition”.

Adam Horowitz, Head of United Kingdom Domestic,
Julius Baer International Limited, said:“Continuing our long
tradition as a supporter of arts and culture, Julius Baer is proud
to extend its partnership with the British Museum to sponsor the
exhibition ‘Ancient lives, new discoveries’. As the leading private
banking group in Switzerland, which incorporates a large footprint
in the UK, we value this opportunity to share in such a significant
cross-cultural experience, which features innovative research and
cutting-edge visualisation, and also to underline our local
commitment.”

Andy Griffiths, President, Samsung UK &
Ireland, said: "This exciting new exhibition is a great example of
how the British Museum is at the forefront of innovating digital
learning and we are proud to be the technology partner in support
of this. At Samsung, we believe that technology can be used to help
enhance learning potential and this is why we will continue to work
closely with the British Museum on projects such as this, as well
as encouraging young people to find out more about these
exhibitions through the Samsung Digital Discovery Centre.”

Julius Baer is the leading Swiss private banking group with a
focus on servicing and advising sophisticated private clients and a
premium brand in global wealth management. Julius Baer’s total
client assets amounted to CHF 348 billion at the end of 2013,
including CHF 254 billion of assets under management. Bank Julius
Baer & Co. Ltd., the renowned Swiss private bank with origins
dating back to 1890, is the principal operating company of Julius
Baer Group Ltd., whose shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange
(ticker symbol: BAER) and form part of the Swiss Market Index
(SMI), comprising the 20 largest and most liquid Swiss stocks.

Julius Baer is currently integrating Merrill Lynch’s
International Wealth Management business outside the US. This will
increase the Group’s presence to more than 25 countries and 50
locations. Headquartered in Zurich, we have offices in key
locations including Dubai, Frankfurt, Geneva, Hong Kong, London,
Lugano, Monaco, Montevideo, Moscow, Singapore and Tokyo.

For more information visit www.juliusbaer.com

About Julius Baer’s cultural commitment

Julius Baer has been actively committed to the field of culture
for generations. By constantly building up an art collection and by
establishing the Julius Baer Foundation, which plays a role in the
arts and youth development, the basis was created for a long-term
social commitment. Nowadays Julius Baer is a sponsor of several
cultural projects.

Current partnerships include: Lucerne Festival at the Piano;
Verbier Festival; International Opera Studio, Zurich Opera House;
Orpheum Foundation for the Advancement of Young Soloists in Zurich
(all in Switzerland); Städel Museum in Frankfurt; the British
Museum exhibition ‘Ancient lives, new discoveries’; the National
Theatre production ‘King Lear’ (all in London) as well as the
Sovereign Asian Art Prize in Hong Kong.

Through these commitments the Bank contributes to making
cultural diversity accessible to a wider public.

For more information visit www.juliusbaer.com/sponsoring

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in technology,
opening new possibilities for people everywhere. Through relentless
innovation and discovery, we are transforming the worlds of
televisions, smartphones, personal computers, printers, cameras,
home appliances, LTE systems, medical devices, semiconductors and
LED solutions. We employ 286,000 people across 79 countries with
annual sales of US$187.8 billion. To discover more, please visit
www.samsung.com